Equipment and method in handling of doctor blades for a paper/cardboard machine

ABSTRACT

A reeling device ( 10 ), has a support base ( 1 ), a support arm ( 2 ), and a shaft ( 9′ ) mounted on the support arm ( 2 ). One shaft end has a boss ( 9 ) and the other end has a revolving frame ( 7 ). Mounted to the device is a transit case ( 20 ), within which the used doctor blades ( 12 ) of a paper/cardboard machine are reeled on a roll. Raw material is supplied to a blade production plant, where the blades are produced, then transported to a paper/cardboard plant and stored in the plant prior to being mounted in connection with paper/cardboard machine rolls, where their condition is monitored during use. Used doctor blades are removed from the machine, packed in storable form with the reeling device, and are stored in the paper/cardboard plant. The packed used blades are transported away from the paper/cardboard plant and delivered into recycling, reuse or end use.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a U.S. national stage application of InternationalApplication No. PCT/FI00/00539, filed Jun. 15, 2000, and claims priorityon Finnish Application No. 991578, Filed Jul. 9, 1999, the disclosuresof both of which applications are incorporated by reference herein.

STATEMENT AS TO RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS MADE UNDER FEDERALLY SPONSOREDRESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an equipment for reeling used doctor blades tobe in storable form for reuse, after-treatment or recycling.

The invention also relates to a method for handling doctor blades for apaper/cardboard machine, comprising the steps of supplying the rawmaterial for doctor blades to the doctor blade production plant,producing the doctor blades in the doctor blade production plant,transporting the doctor blades to the paper/cardboard plant, storing thedoctor blades in the paper/cardboard plant prior to introduction to use,mounting the doctor blades to be in connection with paper/cardboardmachine rolls, monitoring the condition of doctor blades during the use,and removing the used doctor blades from the paper/cardboard machine.

The doctor blade is an important component in securing the performanceof the paper/cardboard machine, which in connection with the rollmaintains the condition of the roll face and permits the passing of theweb portion that is to be passed into the pulper out of the connectionwith the roll. Doctor blades are made of different materials, such assteel, glass fibre laminate, carbon fibre laminate and other compositematerials. Different materials are needed because doctor blades are usedin connection with rolls of different structure groups ofpaper/cardboard machine, from the wire section to the finishing room,because of which the requirements vary concerning an optimallyperforming doctor blade. Doctor blades made from certain materials canbe reused, e.g. carbon fibre laminate blades of the press section can bereused in the dryer section. After the first use, the doctor blade iscleaned, cut to be of uniform width, sharpened, packed and conveyed to anew target.

For the present, it is more common to cut used doctor blades removedfrom paper machines into pieces and destroy as residue rather than reusethem. One reason thereto is that the handling of doctor blades isdifficult. It is known in the art to reel used doctor blades manually ona roll on the floor and to place them one by one into cardboard boxesused for transporting. There is a risk to have incised wounds whenreeling by hand, and moreover, reeling by hand has to be carried out ina most unergonomical position.

For handling doctor blades prior to introduction to use, various designshave been developed. An equipment and a method in handling doctor bladesis disclosed in application FI-980514, in which doctor blade blanks arepicked from a doctor blade roll and cut off in a cut-off device into adesired length, whereafter a doctor blade is mounted in a paper machinefor use. Application No. FI-980148 introduces a storage case for doctorblades in which the doctor blade material is stored as a roll beforeuse. The utility model FIU3395 introduces furthermore a carriage inwhich doctor blade cases are stored and transported for use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to produce an equipment forstoring used doctor blades into a form appropriate for storing andtransporting.

A further object of the invention is to produce an equipment forremoving used doctor blades from the paper/cardboard machine safely andergonomically.

One further object of the invention is to provide a method with whichused doctor blades can be stored, transported and reused.

The equipment of the invention for reeling used doctor blades to be instorable form is characterized in that the equipment comprises a reelingdevice provided with a support base, a support arm, a shaft mounted onthe support arm, one end whereof being provided with a boss and theother end with a revolving frame, and a transit case, into which theused doctor blades can be reeled on a roll.

The method of the invention for handling doctor blades is characterizedin that the method comprises the steps of:

packing the used doctor blades to be in storable form with the aid of areeling device,

storing the used doctor blades in the paper/cardboard plant,

transporting the used doctor blades away from the paper/cardboard plant,and

delivering the used doctor blades into recycling, reuse or end use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is described below referring to the accompanying drawingsin which:

FIG. 1 presents an equipment according to the invention for reeling useddoctor blades in front view.

FIG. 2 presents the equipment according to the invention in rear view.

FIG. 3 presents the equipment according to the invention in lateralview.

FIG. 4 presents a block diagram of the different steps of the productlife cycle of the doctor blades for a paper/cardboard machine.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In FIGS. 1 to 3, the equipment according to the invention for handlingused doctor blades is presented in front, rear and lateral views. Theequipment according to the invention comprises a reeling device 10 and atransit case 20 for doctor blades. The reeling device 10 is providedwith a support base 1, advantageously provided with wheels P. On thesupport base 1, a support arm 2 has been mounted which is provided witha support 8 for placing and supporting the transit case 20 in thereeling device 10. In the upper part of the support arm 2, there isprovided a mounting on the shaft 9′ of the boss 9, which can be lockedin place with a locking member 6. On the other end of the shaft 9′ ofthe boss 9, a revolving frame 7 is mounted for reeling a doctor blade 12into the transit case 20.

The transit case 20 comprises a reeling core 22, which can be disposedaround the boss 9 of the reeling device 10. As to the shape, the transitcase 20 can be e.g. polygonal, like the one seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, or ofsome other shape. The material of the transit case 20 is e.g. plastic orcorrugated cardboard. The reeling core 22 of the transit case 20 isprovided with fixing members 21 for fixing the end of the doctor blade12 to the reeling core 22. The side wall of the transit case 20 includesan aperture 23 or alternatively a weakening or perforation for making anaperture, through which aperture 23 the doctor blade 12 is guided intothe transit case 20.

On the upper end of the support arm 2, a transversal upper arm 3 ismounted, being provided with a guide 5 for fastening the transport case20 and for guiding the doctor blade 12 into the transit case 20, and abolt 4 at the other end for fastening the transit case 20 to the reelingdevice 10.

A doctor blade 12 is taken to the reeling device 10 so that its head ispushed through aperture 23 in the transit case 20 with the aid of theguide 5, so that the end of the doctor blade 12 is fastened to thefixing member 21 provided in the transit case 20 and is automaticallylocked therewith. The reeling-in of the doctor blade 12 is carried outby rotating the revolving frame 7.

After reeling one doctor blade, the next doctor blade can be attached tothe previous one by fixing its first end to the latter end of thepreceding with an appropriate fixing means, such as bundling tie. Thelast doctor blade to be reeled into the transit case 20 is reeledentirely into the transit case 20. After the reeling, the transit case20 is detached from the reeling device 10 by opening the bolt 4 and theguide 5. The subsequent empty transit case 20 is mounted in the reelingdevice 10 by lifting the transit case 20 on top of a support 8 and byfastening the guide 5 and the bolt 4.

The reeling device 10 of doctor blades can be manually operated, wherebythe revolving frame 7 is rotated manually. The device 10 can also beprovided with a motor to facilitate the reeling.

The support arm 2 of the reeling device 10 can be fixed in height or thesupport arm 2 can be provided with a height regulator so that theutilization of the reeling device 10 can be more varied.

Also, the fastening of the support 8 can be made adjustable on differentheights so that transit cases of different sizes can be used. In thiscase, the length of the upper arm 3 can also be adjusted.

FIG. 4 shows the product life cycle of doctor blades as a block diagram.The raw material supplier for doctor blades 30 supplies the raw materialrequired to the production plant of doctor blades, that is to a doctorblade workshop 200, where doctor blades are produced (step 31) for thesize and length ordered by the client. The doctor blade workshop 200packs the finished doctor blades or doctor blade blanks e.g. in astorage case for doctor blades disclosed in patent application FI-980142(step 32). The packed doctor blades are transported (step 33) to apaper/cardboard plant 100 where the doctor blades are stored (step 34)prior to the use.

In conjunction with introduction into use, doctor blades are transportedto the unit/roll of the paper machine where they are going to be usedand they are mounted into the paper machine (step 35). In the mountingstep, the equipment and the method as those introduced in patentapplication FI-980514 is preferably used in handling doctor blades for aroll in a paper/cardboard machine. In conjunction with the use, thecondition of the doctor blade is monitored and after the blade has worninto a certain width or damaged somehow, it is removed from the papermachine (step 36).

After being removed, the doctor blades can be destroyed e.g. by cuttingthem into pieces of appropriate lengths (step 37) and carrying them intowaste thereafter (step 43). A more environmentally friendly alternativeis to reel doctor blades into a transit case by means of a doctor bladereeling device according to the invention (step 38), whereafter thedoctor blades are stored (step 39) and transported (step 40) away fromthe paper/cardboard plant 100 for reuse. Doctor blades with sufficientblade width remaining can be reused for the same purpose (step 41) bytaking them to the doctor blade workshop 200 where the doctor blades aresharpened again (phase 31) and packed into storage cases (step 32)similar to the way used with new doctor blades.

Used doctor blades can be reused also for purposes other than theiroriginal use (step 42). Such purposes could be, e.g.: use in roadconstruction or other building material. The doctor blade material isprovided with good breaking strength and flexural strength properties,because of which it is well suited for a number of reuses.

What is claimed is:
 1. An equipment for reeling used doctor blades to bein storable form for reuse, after-treatment or recycling of the doctorblades, wherein the equipment comprises: a reeling device having asupport base, a support arm, a shaft mounted on the support arm, one endof the shaft being provided with a boss, and another end of the shaftbeing provided with a revolving frame; a transit case into which theused doctor blades can be reeled on a roll; an upper arm fastened on thesupport arm, the upper arm having one end which has a guide for guidingthe end of the doctor blade into the transit case and the upper armhaving another end with a bolt for fastening the transit case to thereeling device; and a support for supporting the transit case to thereeling device.
 2. The equipment of claim 1 wherein the support base isprovided with wheels.
 3. The equipment of claim 1 wherein the reelingdevice further comprises a locking unit for locking the shaft in place.4. The equipment of claim 1 wherein the transit case further comprises:a reeling core provided with free entry to the boss of the reelingdevice; and a fastening member for fastening the end of the doctor bladeto the transit case.
 5. A method for handling doctor blades of apaper/cardboard machine, said method comprising the steps of: supplyingraw material for doctor blades to a doctor blade production plant;producing the doctor blades in the doctor blade production plant;transporting the doctor blades to a paper/cardboard plant; mounting thedoctor blades to be used in connection with paper/cardboard machinerolls, where after use the doctor blades become used doctor blades;removing the used doctor blades from the paper/cardboard machine;packing the used doctor blades in storable form into a transit caseaccording to the following steps: mounting the transit case to a reelingdevice having a support base, and a support arm which extends upwardlyfrom the support base, an upper arm being mounted to the support arm,and a guide and a bolt being mounted to the upper arm, the transit casebeing mounted between a support on the support arm and the bolt;fastening the transit case to the upper arm with the bolt; guiding thedoctor blades into the transit case with the guide on the upper arm;mounting the doctor blade to a boss on one end of a shaft mounted forrotation on the support arm; rotating a revolving frame mounted to theshaft opposite the boss to draw the doctor blade into the transit caseguided by the guide on the upper arm; storing the used doctor blades inthe paper/cardboard plant; transporting the used doctor blades away fromthe paper/cardboard plant; and delivering the used doctor blades intorecycling, reuse or end use.
 6. The method of claim 5 wherein thepacking step comprises packing a plurality of used doctor blades in onetransit case.
 7. The method of claim 5 wherein the packing step furthercomprises attaching consecutive doctor blades to be packed in onetransit case to each other with a fixing means.
 8. The method of claim 5further comprising the step of delivering the used doctor blades to thedoctor blade production plant for reuse.
 9. The method of claim 8further comprising the step of producing from a used doctor blade areusable doctor blade in the doctor blade production plant.
 10. Themethod of claim 5 further comprising the step of reusing the used doctorblades in other than papermaking industry.
 11. The method of claim 5further comprising the step of storing the doctor blades in thepaper/cardboard plant prior to introduction to use.
 12. The method ofclaim 5 further comprising the step of monitoring the condition ofdoctor blades during the use.
 13. The method of claim 5 wherein areeling core is disposed around the boss and the doctor blade is mountedto the boss by way of the reeling core.
 14. An apparatus for reelingused doctor blades to be in storable form for reuse, after-treatment orrecycling of the doctor blades, the apparatus comprising: a supportbase; a support arm extending upwardly from the support base; a transitcase detachably supported on the support arm, the transit case having avolume into which the used doctor blades can be reeled on a roll; anupper arm fastened on an end of the support arm; a guide mounted on theupper arm, the guide for guiding the end of the doctor blade into thetransit case; a bolt on the upper arm fastening the transit case to thereeling device; and a support mounted to the support arm, the supportfor supporting the transit case to the reeling device; a shaft extendingfrom the support arm and being rotatable thereon; a revolving framefixed to a first end of the shaft; and a boss attached to a second endof the shaft.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14 further comprising portionsof the transit case defining an aperture through which doctor blades arereceivable into the transit case volume.
 16. The apparatus of claim 14further comprising: a reeling core within the transit case, the reelingcore being mounted to the boss to rotate with the shaft; a first useddoctor blade fastened to the reeling core, and wound about the reelingcore; and a second used doctor blade fixed to the first doctor blade andreeled into the transit case on the reeling core.